Simon, a charaid,

> How about feith as waiting?

To avoid me completely boring this group, check out this webpage of
mine for that element:-
http://www.calumcille.com/modhan/gleusan/3DA.html

> Your string of lamentation sounds fun but looks contrived. Also
would it be reasonable for the modal base to have that name? I'm
thinking a note that is obsessively returned to even if its not the
modal base (like Ann uses E in cumh Iarla Wigton, in G) Please
explain what you mean by 'Plagal' in one sentence for noggins <

If the main dyad is perceived to be D but the tune doesn't end on
an 'authentic' D pitch but on another 'side-pitch' like A, as the
archetypal keening melody (F E D C A) does, then the tune can
justifiably be described as being 'plagal' (if we want to use that
term).

I'm sure it's just as reasonable for the authentic modal final D to
have that name as the plagal modal final A. Or the sad note that
falls down by a semitone (eg F to E). Or any transposition of these
or others! The archetypal keening melody constantly heads towards D
and A at the end of phrases.

> Also arent you going to tackle freagrach and dofreagrach? Or did I
miss that one? <

Check out this webpage of mine for that:-
http://www.calumcille.com/modhan/gleusan/4C.html

In Ann's rendering of Cumha Iarla Wigton, the keening melody is
translated from F E D C A to G F# E D B. Her E tonal centre is a
transposition of the D and through this she shows a clear sensitivity
towards of one of the harmonic implications of the lament nature of
the piece.

Is that meaningful?

Beannachdan,



Alasdair


--- In clairseach@..., simon@... wrote:
>
> How about feith as waiting?
>
> Your string of lamentation sounds fun but looks contrived. Also
would
> it be reasonable for the modal base to have that name? I'm thinking
a
> note that is obsessively returned to even if its not the modal
base
> (like Ann uses E in cumh Iarla Wigton, in G)
>
> Please explain what you mean by 'Plagal' in one sentence for noggins
>
> Also arent you going to tackle freagrach and dofreagrach? Or did I
> miss that one?
>
> Simon
>
>
>
>
>
> On 27 Oct 2008, at 20:27, Alasdair Codona wrote:
>
> > A chàirdean,
> >
> > The last of my etymological musings for a while.
> >
> > The name of the D string above the sisters is given by Bunting
> > as 'ted na féola' (p36) and as 'tead na feitheolach' and 'tead na
> > feithe-o-lach' (pp21/22). The first spelling seems to indicate a
> > long E vowel; the last spelling seems to indicate a long O
vowel. It
> > is interpreted in p21 as 'the string of the leading sinews' (or
> > strings). It is translated in pp21/22 as the 'leading sinews' and
in
> > p36 as 'leading sinews or strings' in a perhaps awkward plural.
> >
> > The possible link of féola to the word 'féith' (muscle, vein,
sinew)
> > would be interesting from an organologist's point of view as the
> > Gaelic harp does not have gut strings. The word 'eolach' has been
> > variously spelled in the past, sometimes with the fada mark over
the
> > E, sometimes over the O. 'Téad na bhféith-eolach' (the string of
the
> > sinew-knowing ones) is a possible interpretation of the string
name.
> > This interpretation is not exactly appropriate on a harp using
wire,
> > although the word 'string' is used in English for wires on musical
> > instruments. It may be that whoever collected this word recorded
it
> > in the form 'féola' and personally interpreted it as 'féith-
eolach'.
> > However, this exact hyphenation never appears in Bunting.
> >
> > The masculine word 'eól' (knowledge) is the origin of the
word 'iúl'
> > (guidance) while the Irish phrase 'déanamh an eolais'
means 'leading
> > the way'. This may be the concept which lies behind Bunting's
> > term 'leading sinews' but the word 'eolach' cannot be used here to
> > mean 'leading/guiding'. Only if the word 'éola', an obsolete and
> > debatable genitive singular of 'eól', was used could 'téad na
bhféith
> > eola' be produced (ie téad na bhféith iúil) which would translate
> > as 'the string of the guiding strings', a strange term.
> >
> > Another possibility is the word 'eol' which appears in the
Dictionary
> > of the Irish Language. It may be the element which appears in the
> > feminine word 'éolchaire' (lamentation). If 'eol' was feminine
too,
> > then it would be perfectly natural for the word to accrue an
initial
> > F in Gaelic, leading to a modern 'téad na feola' (string of
> > lamentation). This would be an extremely appropriate name for a D
> > string: the D scale forms the basis of most of Carolan's laments
and,
> > with plagal final, of the archetypical keening tunes.
> >
> > Beannachdan,
> >
> >
> >
> > Alasdair
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo! Groups Links
> >
> >
> >
>